The present invention generally relates to a vehicle frame assembly and more particularly, to a relatively stiff vehicle frame assembly having a lowest resonant frequency mode in excess of about fifty hertz.
A vehicle frame assembly operatively supports and/or is coupled to many required and conventional vehicle components and assemblies such as and without limitation, the power train, the half shafts which cooperatively communicate torque from the power train to the wheels, the steering assembly, and the suspension and/or control arm assemblies.
It is desirable to provide a relatively stiff frame assembly in order to reduce the amount of noise and/or vibrational energy which is generated and communicated into the vehicular passenger compartment. For example, many conventional and xe2x80x9cfullxe2x80x9d vehicular frame assemblies have a lowest resonant frequency mode of about thirteen hertz which may cause undesirable vibrational noise to be generated and communicated into the passenger compartment. Increasing this lowest resonant frequency mode (e.g., by xe2x80x9cstiffeningxe2x80x9d the frame assembly) will reduce the likelihood of such undesirable generation and communication of vibrational noise into the vehicle.
While a frame assembly may be xe2x80x9cstiffenedxe2x80x9d by selectively increasing the sectional height of the frame assembly, this approach is not typically utilized due to the required placement of some of these previously delineated assemblies upon or underneath the frame assembly and the concomitant clearance required between the frame assembly and the ground upon which the vehicle is driven and/or between the vehicular components and the ground upon which the vehicle is driven. Further, while the frame assembly may be xe2x80x9cstiffenedxe2x80x9d by increasing its width (e.g., increasing the size of the frame assembly in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle), this approach is also not typically utilized due to the desirability of providing a relatively long wheel control arm and due to the conventional placement of the power train assembly in close proximity to the frame assembly.
It is a first non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a relatively stiff vehicular frame assembly.
It is a second non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a relatively stiff vehicular frame assembly having a relatively tall sectional height and which concomitantly provides the required clearance between various vehicular assemblies and components and the ground upon which the vehicle is driven.
It is a third non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a relatively stiff vehicular frame assembly having a lowest resonant mode which occurs at a frequency which is greater than about twenty hertz.
It is a fourth non-limiting advantage of the present invention to provide a relatively stiff front vehicular frame assembly which has a lowest resonant frequency mode which occurs at a frequency which is greater than about one-hundred hertz.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a vehicular frame assembly is provided for use with a vehicle having a pair of front half shafts and a pair of rear half shafts. The vehicular frame assembly has first and second members which are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and third and fourth members which are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and which are coupled to the first and second members, the first member having a first tall sectional height portion with a first aperture and a second tall sectional height portion with a second aperture and the second member having a third tall sectional height portion with a third aperture and a fourth tall sectional height portion with a fourth aperture, the first and third apertures being aligned and respectively receiving a unique one of the front vehicular half-shafts and the second and fourth apertures being aligned and respectively receiving a unique one of the rear vehicular half-shafts.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method is provided to provide a stiff vehicular frame assembly. The method comprises the steps of forming a pair of members, each of the members having a portion having a relatively tall sectional height; forming an aperture within each of the portions; and coupling a first of the pair of members to a second of the pair of members, thereby forming a stiff vehicular frame assembly.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and by reference to the following drawings.